You know what they say, something about never dialing when you're emotional, or something like that, anyway…
Chapter One
Rachel sat curled in a little ball, her zebra print snuggie covering every portion of her aside from her long face. The TV glow bounced off of the walls around her, reflecting in the darkness onto her face. She felt completely alone.
The announcer on the television was saying something about the new decade. "Out with the old and in with the new." Rachel sighed.
Jennifer Lopez was wearing some kind of ungodly fur blanket over a sparkly leotard… 'Right, and I'm the unreasonable one.' She drew the snuggie closer to her chin and sunk into the plush couch.
The clock on the mantle read 11:57. It's hands ticked by sluggishly, making her antsy. She ran a hand through her hair, which hung limply from her face.
Her dads were out, due to her ushering. She had pushed them to take a night for themselves. They deserved it. So why was she beginning to regret her urgency? The dark house groaned around her and the burnt popcorn sat untouched on the coffee table, giving off a lonely stare. She felt unnerved by the entire situation.
She needed to talk to someone. An actual person. Dick didn't count.
The phone sat like a beacon on the arm rest. She shivered, averting her gaze from it. Just because she was feeling particularly vulnerable and sorry for herself didn't mean that she had any right to unload her baggage onto someone else…
"People are eagerly waiting for the new year, folks and I've got to say, Times Square has never buzzed louder." A commentator speculated. "Everyone's excited!"
Rachel rolled her eyes.
The entire ordeal of New Year's seemed like some farce to her. The resolutions, the count down, the kissing…
It, frankly, tired her, and -again- she wished someone was with her to pick her up. Figuratively. She suppressed her urge to seize the telephone and dial a certain number. She already had it memorized. Again, she felt completely barren. But she couldn't bring herself to pick up and dial.
So she wrapped her arms tighter around herself and waited. 11:59.
'Okay, so it's almost 2010.' She thought. 'I'm probably the only one on the planet who is alone right now. Great' She knew she had the tendency to over-react, but that was beside the point because- at the moment- she did feel like the only single soul in the universe. Once again, a shudder crept over her.
'I guess I could call Finn.' Rachel thought. 'He's probably with his mom…' She reached for the phone and pressed a button, making it come to life. 'But he could also be at some party.'
And with the single image of Finn sitting with his jocks and other fellows, she threw the phone down into her lap, letting the dial tone echo out defeat as the people counted down on the television screen.
"Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve," The entire body of Time's Square shouted. She laid her head back on the couch cushion and closed her eyes, listening to the glee in their voices. "nine, eight, seven, six,".
She breathed in, taking in the smell of her house -cinnamon and pine left over from Christmas- and held the breath, waiting for the words…
"Three, two, one!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The TV bellowed, surround sound intensifying her experience as a third party bystander.
She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to usher in the new era alone…
"Love is in the air, folks. Friends, partners, strangers, everyone's kissing and sharing excitement for the new year!" The announcer chortled as the camera zoomed in on a couple kissing passionately.
Rachel looked away from the screen, disgusted. The phone still called out a busy dial tone, keying her up. Suddenly desperate to make the noise stop, she pressed power off and thrust it back into position in her lap.
"This sucks." She scoffed.
Breaking the silence, the phone rang, making her jump. She stared at it for a minute, listening to the foreign sound of ring as apposed to a busy signal before realizing that she should probably answer it.
"Hello?" She spoke into the receiver, annoyed at the uncertainty in her voice.
"Rachel?" The voice on the other end asked in surprise. She knew that voice.
"Finn?"
"You actually answered!" He exhaled.
"Are you surprised?" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear self-consciously, nervous even when she wasn't in his presence, a whole four streets away from him.
"Well, I've been trying to call for a while and I was about to give up." He explained. It took her a second to realize that she had left the phone off the hook and then, embarrassedly, told him so.
"Oh, it's no big deal. I just figured you might not want to be alone on New Years." He sounded kind of nervous, too, Rachel noted. The couple on the screen was still kissing and, distracted, she had to pull herself back to the conversation.
"What do you mean?" She asked, listening for a reply.
It was silent for a while.
Then, in the few seconds it took her to raise herself into a sitting position, she heard a knock on her door.
Her heart leapt.
Chapter Two -filled with much more Finn Rachel goodness- will be uploaded at a more Godly hour today. Let me know how you liked it and happy New Year!
